1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to user authentication systems and methods and more specifically to biometric-based user authentication systems and methods.
2. Brief Description of the Related Art
Methods and devices for authenticating users of various types of devices have become increasingly important. An example of such a method and device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 7,234,156. Many such devices and methods have incorporated or used biometric authentication, such as fingerprint, facial image, iris, and other biometric information. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2009/0175509 discloses system and method for personal computing device control using face detection and recognition. As another example, U.S. Pat. No. 7,088,220 discloses a system and method using biometric sensors for controlling access to a wireless communication device. Still other references, such as U.S. Pat. Nos. 7,233,684 and 6,829,384 disclose systems and methods for identifying objects in images. While these prior systems may have been useful in certain environments, a need exists for faster, more accurate, and more reliable authentication systems and methods.